Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 746 - 465 The Way_2

Chapter 746: Chapter 465 The Way_2

"Ghosts? Those people are not worthy of the title ’ghosts’."

Li Yaoxuan chuckled softly to himself as he walked past Li Yucheng, stopping before an antique display stand. He casually picked up a slender sword with an unusual design, one that was worth a fortune among the antiques.

He performed a casual flourish in the air, and the sword light it emitted dimmed the light in the room by a few degrees.

After doing this, Li Yaoxuan examined the slender sword in his hand and spoke softly,

"This sword is the meeting gift they presented to me, heh... The craftsmanship is indeed fine, and the material is decent, barely comparable to Great Yan’s Grade B forging materials."

"Father, an unknown enemy should not be underestimated. This slender sword may not be the best," Li Yucheng quietly warned.

Li Yaoxuan put the sword back, let out an enigmatic chuckle, and said,

"You are right, and the matters you reported in this morning’s court session are also correct. Compared to allowing an unknown enemy to sleep soundly within Great Yan, it is obviously more advantageous to continue treating those shortsighted Japanese pirates, who know only to plunder the traders at sea, as neighbors."

"The Prime Minister and I have indeed discussed this matter and are prepared to dispatch an imperial envoy to sit in judgment and monitor the Eastern lands."

At this point,

Li Yaoxuan’s tone suddenly shifted, and he asked gently,

"Yucheng, although you are somewhat rigid in some matters, having overseen the state affairs for so long, surely you must understand what this action implies?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze.

What does it imply?

Li Yucheng was very clear about what it implied.

Sending the Third Prince, Li Junqing, to the Eastern lands meant that all the power held by this younger brother within Great Yan would fall vacant.

And given the current situation in the court, these powers could not be smoothly transferred into the hands of him, the Crown Prince.

In other words,

The power held by the Crown Prince’s faction, including the Imperial Family’s commerce, a portion of the Shadow Guard, and the various networks that Li Junqing had developed in the court, would cease to exist.

After taking a deep breath, Li Yucheng maintained the same tone,

"Your son understands."

"Being the eldest, you really do take good care of your youngest."

"Yunqing and I are siblings by blood..."

"But Yucheng, by doing this, are you really not trying to remove Yunqing from my sight?"

"......" Li Yucheng.

Li Yaoxuan looked at his eldest legitimate son with a smile and continued,

"You agree, don’t you? After all, this body of mine probably doesn’t have many years left. If Yunqing is sent away at this time, he would naturally be excluded from my realm of consideration."

"Thump."

As the words fell, Li Yucheng immediately knelt down, his fists clenched slightly,

"Your son’s intentions, I hope Father Emperor can understand."

Li Yaoxuan watched the Crown Prince kneeling before him, slowly bent down to help him up, and looked into his eyes at close range,

"Yucheng, there’s no need to be so nervous. I was merely speaking hypothetically. Yunqing is like your left and right arms for you, the Crown Prince. Sending him away might take him out of my sight, but it would also be like cutting off one of your own arms in front of Zhao Yuan."

"Let me guess,

"Even if you didn’t mention it, Yunqing would probably come to me himself, as he has always been averse to trouble since he was a child."

As he spoke,

a hint of warmth fleetingly crossed Li Yaoxuan’s sharp gaze.

He remembered that after causing mischief, Li Junqing was always the quickest to escape punishment.

While the other princes were being spanked, that boy was already hiding behind their mother.

The warmth vanished in a flash, and after helping Li Yucheng up, Li Yaoxuan settled back onto his bed. He tightened the Imperial Dragon Robe on his body and looked through the window at the boundless sky outside, sighing,

"Sometimes I really envy Xu Yin He..."

The words fell silent, and after a few moments of stillness, Li Yaoxuan chuckled softly,

"Heh heh... It seems I am indeed getting old, starting to indulge in nostalgia for the past."

Watching the stooped old man talking to himself on the bed, Li Yucheng’s eyes flickered with complexity, and he attempted a barely audible questioning,

"Father Emperor..."

He was cut off halfway when Li Yaoxuan’s sharp gaze swept over, and Li Yucheng’s mind instantly cleared as he swallowed the rest of his words.

This Father Emperor needed no comfort or pity.

Having made his decisions, he would have no regrets.

His previous words were merely a lament of someone nearing the end of his days.

Besides, the Imperial Family was destined not to become like a household such as the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Li Yaoxuan composed himself, and with an expressionless face, he whispered,

"I am aware of your stance, and I have approved the matter concerning Yunqing."

Li Yucheng knelt down to pay his respects,

"Thank you, Father Emperor,"

Li Yaoxuan did not immediately dismiss Li Yucheng, his fingertips lightly tapping on the low-footed desk on the bed. In a soft voice, he asked,

"Where did you go last night after you left the residence?"

Li Yucheng’s downcast eyes contracted slightly.

He knew the Father Emperor was aware of his movements, but he had not expected the Father Emperor to ask such a question.

Events like last night had happened a number of times, and after several probes, he had judged that the Father Emperor seemed to have tacitly consented to his actions.

Now that it was brought up...

His thoughts racing, Li Yucheng could not fathom the Father Emperor’s imperial will and could only face up to it, speaking the truth,

"This son... went to meet the son of the Vice Minister of War."

"Wang Xianzhi?"

"Wang Licheng."

"The illegitimate child of Wang Yuqian?"

"Yes."

"It seems that Zhao Yuan has indeed pushed you into a corner for you to lower yourself and meet with a mere bastard."

"......" Li Yucheng.

The directness of his father’s words left him somewhat at a loss for words.

But after clenching the palm of his hand beneath his sleeve, Li Yucheng still spoke softly,

"A person’s talent should not be judged by their birth."

"Oh?"

Seeing his response, Li Yaoxuan smiled lightly and said,

"Just a single night’s conversation has emboldened you, the Crown Prince, to talk back to Us. It seems you hold that man in high regard."

"This son is merely speaking the truth."

"Enough, none of that is important."

Li Yaoxuan did not wish to continue the topic and spoke to himself,

"Your idea is not bad, but what a pity there seems not to be enough time for you to set up and scheme. Even if you recruit that person to remain as a hidden agent in the Prime Minister’s Mansion, it’s highly unlikely he will be of use."

"....."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of something different passed through Li Yaoxuan’s eyes.

He sensed the hidden message from the Father Emperor in his words.

If a hidden agent who needed time to scheme wouldn’t be of use, by implication, if he wanted to maintain his position as the Crown Prince, he would need to rely on readily available powers that didn’t require arrangements.

With this in mind, Li Yucheng lifted his gaze toward the hunched elder sitting on the bed, his eyes probing.

Observing his eldest son’s gaze, Li Yaoxuan gently shook his head,

"Yucheng, among my many sons, I do indeed like you the most. I admire your uprightness and your aspirations for the world, but in some matters, you and Yunqing and Zhao Yuan still have some discrepancies."

Speaking of this,

Li Yaoxuan sighed,

"If it were either of them, by the time I asked the first question, they would likely have already understood my meaning."

A look of disappointment flashed in Li Yucheng’s gentle eyes, and he slightly bowed his head,

"This son has disappointed you, Father Emperor."

"I am not blaming you. Sometimes what you have is a flaw, but at other times it is also a strength."

Li Yaoxuan reclined back on the bed, his gaze deeply looking out the window, "As long as... you understand, that’s enough."

"....."

After hearing the Father Emperor’s dismissal, Li Yucheng did not immediately get up to leave but continued to kneel in place.

The fragrance of incense was faint, and the chamber was silent.

Seeing the Crown Prince still kneeling in Qingxin Pavilion, Li Yaoxuan’s eyebrows gradually furrowed,

"Will you not leave, or do you require Us to personally see you out?"

Li Yucheng lifted his gaze to meet the Father Emperor’s eyes, speaking softly,

"Father Emperor, this son believes that this move is not...."

"Bang!"

His words still hanging in the air, Li Yaoxuan slammed his hand down on the low-footed desk atop the bed.

A whirlwind instantly swept up within the room, silk curtains flying about, and when everything settled, the low-footed desk on the bed, along with the morning court report Li Yucheng had written today, all turned to dust.

Li Yaoxuan stared at the Crown Prince before him, the temperature in his voice dropping slightly,

"I have given you a path to walk, it’s up to you to take it or not.

"Now, leave."